Feeding appliance and method for conversion of the same

Abstract

Feeding appliances have an elongate continuous conveyor ( 14 ) which serves as a distributing conveyor. The distributing conveyor is required only in certain usage situations. Said distributing conveyor must thus be detached when not in use. Detachment is also required for the transportation of the feeding appliance by road. In the case of known feeding appliances, the attachment and detachment of the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ), which serves as distributing conveyor, is cumbersome. The invention provides for the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) to be connected to a running gear ( 12 ) of the feeding appliance by being hooked on or hooked in. This can be realized by virtue of the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) being simply lowered or raised by a suitable lifting means, for example a crane. Time-consuming and difficult alignment work is thus eliminated.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for conversion of a feeding appliance, wherein a longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is detached from the running gear ( 12 ) of the feeding appliance and, for commencement of operation, is attached again, and, for the attachment and detachment, the handling of the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is performed by a lifting device, wherein the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is automatically hooked onto the running gear ( 12 ) by means of manoeuvring performed by the lifting device. 
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is hooked onto the running gear ( 12 ) by virtue of the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) being lowered relative to the running gear ( 12 ) by the lifting device. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein, after the hooking-on of the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) onto the running gear ( 12 ) of the feeding appliance, the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is preferably secured in positively locking fashion in the hooked-in state on the running gear ( 12 ). 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein, for the hooking-on of the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) onto the running gear ( 12 ), at least one projection ( 34 ) assigned to the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is placed into an upwardly open, corresponding depression ( 33 ) on the running gear ( 12 ), or a downwardly open depression assigned to the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is placed onto a corresponding projection on the running gear ( 12 ). 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) has a coupling means ( 20 ) or the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is assigned the coupling means ( 20 ), and the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is hooked onto and/or secured on the running gear ( 12 ) by way of the coupling means ( 20 ). 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein, after the hooking-on of the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) onto the running gear ( 12 ) of the feeding appliance, the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is preferably secured in positively locking fashion in the hooked-in state on the running gear ( 12 ). 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein, for the hooking-on of the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) onto the running gear ( 12 ), at least one projection ( 34 ) assigned to the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is placed into an upwardly open, corresponding depression ( 33 ) on the running gear ( 12 ), or a downwardly open depression assigned to the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is placed onto a corresponding projection on the running gear ( 12 ). 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) has a coupling means ( 20 ) or the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is assigned the coupling means ( 20 ), and the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is hooked onto and/or secured on the running gear ( 12 ) by way of the coupling means ( 20 ). 
     
     
         9 . A feeding appliance having a running gear ( 12 ) which is assigned, at the front as viewed in a paving direction ( 11 ), a storage container ( 10 ) for accommodating a supply of material, having a rear longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) which is fastenable to the running gear ( 12 ), and having at least one conveyor that transports the material from the storage container ( 10 ) to the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ), wherein the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is connectable to the running gear ( 12 ) by way of at least one hooking-in means ( 29 ) and at least one locking means ( 30 ). 
     
     
         10 . The feeding appliance according to  claim 9 , wherein at least one hooking-in means ( 29 ) is arranged at one location and the at least one locking means ( 30 ) is arranged at a different location, and preferably the at least one hooking-in means ( 29 ) is arranged above the at least one locking means ( 30 ). 
     
     
         11 . The feeding appliance according to  claim 9 , wherein the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is assigned a coupling means ( 20 ), and the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) with the coupling means ( 20 ) is connectable to the running gear ( 12 ) by way of the at least one hooking-in means ( 29 ) and the at least one locking means ( 30 ). 
     
     
         12 . The feeding appliance according to  claim 11 , wherein the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ), preferably with the coupling means ( 20 ), is immovably and/or rigidly connectable to the running gear ( 12 ). 
     
     
         13 . The feeding appliance according to  claim 11 , wherein the or each hooking-in means ( 29 ) corresponds to an upwardly open depression ( 33 ) on the running gear ( 12 ) and a projection ( 34 ) on the coupling means ( 20 ), or a downwardly open depression on the coupling means ( 20 ) corresponds to a projection on the running gear ( 12 ). 
     
     
         14 . The feeding appliance according to  claim 13 , wherein the locking means ( 30 ) is in the form of a positively locking connection, which acts preferably in all directions, between the coupling means ( 20 ) and the running gear ( 12 ), and the respective positive locking means ( 30 ) is assigned to the running gear ( 12 ) and to the coupling means ( 20 ), wherein the respective locking means ( 30 ) can be engaged after the hooking-in of the or each projection ( 34 ) into the corresponding depression ( 33 ). 
     
     
         15 . The feeding appliance according to  claim 11 , wherein the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is supported on the coupling means ( 20 ), preferably on an end region of the coupling means ( 20 ) directed away from the running gear ( 12 ), about a vertical or slightly inclined pivot axis ( 25 ). 
     
     
         16 . The feeding appliance according to  claim 15 , wherein the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is assigned a pivoting means ( 21 ) which is connected to the coupling means ( 20 ) pivotably about the pivot axis ( 25 ), and the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is connected to the pivoting means ( 21 ) pivotably about a horizontal tilt axis ( 22 ). 
     
     
         17 . The feeding appliance according to  claim 16 , wherein, between the coupling means ( 20 ) and the pivoting means ( 21 ), there is provided at least one linear drive for lateral pivoting of the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) with the pivoting means ( 21 ) about the pivot axis ( 25 ), and, between the pivoting means ( 21 ) and the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ), there is provided at least one linear drive for pivoting the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) up and down about the tilt axis ( 22 ). 
     
     
         18 . The feeding appliance according to  claim 9 , wherein the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ) is assigned a drive, preferably a hydraulic drive, for its encircling conveyor, and in particular the drive is assigned to an offloading end ( 18 ), which is directed away from the running gear ( 12 ), of the longitudinal conveyor ( 17 ).